DE 1 070 801 discloses an escalator with aligned side walls, an upper wall with a handrail and a lower wall and steps. Mounting brackets, which carry the track rails, are disposed at the side walls, two track rails being provided for the advancing escalator belt and two for the returning escalator belt. A pair of rollers is disposed on each side of each step, the rollers rolling on the track rails, which are provided with rims.
Generally known rail holders, rail clamps or screw connections or welded connections are used for fastening the track rails to the mounting brackets.
It is a disadvantage of the known devices that, at about one meter intervals, eight mounting brackets must be fastened to the sidewalls and the track rails fastened to the mounting brackets. The large expenditure of work required by conventional fastening means leads to high installation and assembly costs.
The present invention provides a remedy. The invention accomplishes the objective of avoiding the disadvantages of the known devices and of bringing about a simplification of the installation of components at bearing parts.
The invention is a connecting device in the form of an independent clip unit able to detachably join two components, and particularly bearing components such as may be found in escalator structures. The clip has surfaces that bear against the components to be joined. A spring-like flexibility in the clip retains the clip surfaces against the components and thus the components against each other, maintaining the components in the desired engaged position.
In a first embodiment, the invention is a two-piece construction comprising a base and a bracket having a spring-like flexibility. The base bears against one of the components to be joined, while the bracket bears against the bracket and other component, its spring-like flexibility being biased to cause the components to be retained in a desired contacting relationship.
In a second embodiment, the clip is of one-piece construction, with shoulders that engages one of the components and a flexible portion that joins to a foot that engages the other component. The forces exerted by the flexible portion against the shoulders and foot draws the components together to retain them in the desired contacting relationship.
The advantages achieved by the invention may be seen to lie essentially therein in that, with the inventive clip, track rails or other components can be installed quickly with simple means and at little expense. The installation work for the track rails is shortened significantly, as the inventive clip may be installed manually, with hand pressure applied directly, by a hammer blow, by pressure applied by a U-bolt, or the like, which is sufficient for the installation. The inventive clip makes the installation significantly faster, easier and cheaper than previously. The track rail can also be replaced completely or partly more easily.
In the further course of the specification, the invention is shown in relation to an escalator. However, the disclosure applies equally well also to a moving walkway or to other devices.